'Handmaid's Tale' Halloween costume removed from sale amid backlash

Retailer Yandy modelled their ‘Brave Red Maiden’ costume after the red cape and gown worn in show 'The Handmaid's Tale.'

Yandy

A Halloween costume inspired by the television show The Handmaid’s Tale is no longer for sale after complaints that the outfit was offensive and tone-deaf caused an uproar online.

American retailer Yandy modelled its “Brave Red Maiden” costume after the red cape and gown worn by handmaids — women who are sexually assaulted and forced to carry children to term for infertile women — in the TV series based on Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel of the same name.

The costume consisted of a form-fitting red minidress, red cape and white bonnet. It retailed for US$64.95.

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Many people called the retailer out online, arguing that the costume was misogynistic and missed the entire point of the show. The Handmaid’s Tale is set in a fictional place called Gilead where society restricts women’s rights, and handmaids are considered the property of the state.

On Thursday, Yandy released a statement saying it had removed the costume from its site, and acknowledged that the outfit is “being seen as a symbol of women’s oppression, rather than an expression of women’s empowerment.”

“This is unfortunate, as it was not our intention on any level. Our initial inspiration to create the piece was through witnessing its use in recent months as a powerful protest image.”